Friday, January 27, 2006

You have to register (as many times as possible), but this is an attempt to mobilise the masses and get Geldof a Brat to go with his Brit! Of course, there will be the added pleasure of wiping the smile of the smug NME jounalists.

The other contenders...

Carl BaratPete DohertyLiam GallagherAlex Turner

PS You can also vote for Live 8 as best event/DVD, and if you ain't too familiar with modern music, just vote for Franz Ferdinand in all the relevant categories.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

The story behind the song..... (repeated on More 4 Wednesday 25th Jan 10.00pm)

On the morning of Monday 29th January 1979, 16-year-old schoolgirl Brenda Spencer took the .22 calibre gun her father had given her as a Christmas present and aimed it at the school playground directly opposite her family home. She killed two men and injured eight children. All she would say at the time was "I don't like Mondays, it livens up the day." The incident inspired the Boomtown Rats' number one hit song. It was the first school shooting of its kind, a phenomenon that would spread across America and culminate in the infamous Columbine tragedy. This film examines allegations surrounding a seemingly ordinary suburban family behind the eerie detachment of Brenda Spencer's original statement. I Don't Like Mondays secured unique access to Brenda's prison parole hearing in September last year and includes exclusive and revealing interviews with members of Brenda's family as well as her victims. The film traces the bizarre events of that day and asks how and why it happened.

The program started and ended with the song. At the end, the Police chief condemned the song as idiotic, and the NBC reporter had similar comments. Most incredibly, one of the girls shot refered to the fact that she heard the song every Monday at about 2pm, when she started work and enjoyed it!

Most interesting was the interview of her father, Wallace, in the last part. He still lives in the same house that faces the school and the time of the interview was when the kids were leaving school. He was in total denial of his part in the incident (interestingly enough, he married his daughter's cell mate), and didn't believe the way he raised his daughter had anything to do with it. His ex-wife believed he was the one who should have been in jail.

Brenda Spencer was tried as an adult rather than a minor. She pleaded guilty to killing two people, and did not face a jury. This may have spared her the death penalty, Obviously, many of those who were shot or who lost a family member all wanted her dead and believed she would do it again if released. This was not a view shared by those detached from the incident.

Ultimately she is a fairly stupid girl/woman whose ambitions were to find any excuse to get out of jail and work on a fork lift truck. A lot of her parole hearing related the shooting to the abuse she suffered at the hands of the father, though that seems to be de rigueur for elicting sympathy these days.

The Spencers were as a family made disfunctional by a father who wanted to have affairs yet be able to return to his wife and thought nothing of the consequences of giving a 16 year old girl a rifle for Christmas.

I don't believe she would reoffend if released. In the context of the light sentences handed out to the happy slapper murderers in this country yesterday http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view.php?ArtID=1964, she seems to have had a bad deal. I guess it all depends on whether you believe prison is to rehabilitate or punish. Her notiriety, the first school spree killer, has ensured she is still behind bars.

Having watched the programme, I do feel that Mondays, unlike Bowling for Columbine which condemned the lax US gun laws, came across as a nasty opportunistic song. People were affected by this incident, and hearing the song must bring back a lot of bad memories.

I never felt the song was apt for either Live Aid or Live 8. It's never been one of my favourite songs, but watching this, made it seem even lesser. Maybe it's time to retire it.

The Boomtown Rats 1978 Peel session was broadcast tonight in its entirety! Starting with Like Clockwork at approximately 10.15pm and followed by Me & Howard Hughes at 11.10pm. Then just after midnight, came (Watch Out For) The Normal People and Living In An Island.

You can catch it for up to seven days at http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/dream_ticket/

The Boomtown Rats - Live Middlesex Polytechnic (Sep 1978)01 Mary Of The 4th Form02 Me And Howard Hughes03 I Never Loved Eva Braun04 Don't Believe What You Read05 Rat Trap06 Kicks07 Joey's On The Street Again08 Living In An Island09 She's Gonna Do You In10 Like Clockwork11 She's So Modern12 Looking After Number One13 Do The RatLength: 00:52:25All tracks live at Middlesex Polytechnic, North London.Source: FM>DAT>ANA>HD>CD Great quality (A-)!Also available as "Don't Believe What You Hear" bootleg, lacking track 13Length: 00:49:45; Soundboard;Quality: A+

I also have a second source of this show, having first 11 tracks;Quality: B, Lenght: 56:53

The Boomtown Rats - London Great Brittain (25/04/1982)01 Like Clockwork02 Charmed Lives03 Up All Night04 House On Fire05 Wind Chill Factor (Minus Zero)06 Never In A Million Years07 Sleep (Finger's Lullaby)08 I Don't Like Mondays09 Having My Picture Taken10 Rat Trap

The Boomtown Rats - B.B.C College Concert (03/10/1982) (CDR)01 Like Clockwork02 Charmed Lives03 Up All Night04 House On Fire05 Nothing Happened Today06 Never In A Million Years07 Sleep (Finger's Lullaby)08 I Don't Like Mondays09 Having My Picture Taken10 Rat Trap11 Keep It UpLP>HD>CD (I own the LP)Quality: A+Length: 51:42

The Boomtown Rats - Westwood One (1983)01 Nothing Happened Today02 Never In A Million Years03 I Don't Like Mondays04 Having My Picture Taken05 Rat Trap06 Keep It UpTracks 1 - 12: Westwood One (1983)Source: LP>HD>CD (I own the LP)Quality: A+

Bob Geldof - Milan (1986)01 Redemption Song (B.Marley)02 In The Pouring Rain03 Me And Howard Hughes04 This Heartless Heart05 Good Boys In The Wrong06 The Beat Of The Night07 Intermezzo08 Hurt Hurts09 Love Like A Rocket10-11 This Is The World Calling12 When I Was Young13 Joey's On The Street Again14 audience15 Diamond SmilesLenght: 73:58Quality: B+Source: audience

Bob Geldof - Hamburg (Oct 1990)CD 101 The Great Song Of Indifference02 The Chains Of Pain03 A Gospel Song04 A Rose At Night05 Love Or Something06 Moving Slow07 The Heat Of The Night08 I Don't Like Mondays09 Walking Back To Happiness10 Looking After Number 111 Let It Go12 Rat Trap13 Big Romantic StuffCD 2 encores01 The Great Song Of Indifference - reprise02 Love Like A Rocket03 Hole To FillAll tracks live at Hamburg, oct 1990.Quality: sndbNote: I also have another copy of this show, only having the first 13 tracks.

Bob Geldof - Oldenburg 1 (05/12/1992) (CDR)I have two different copies of this show! track 10 cut at the end01 Too Late God02 A Hole To Fill03 A Gospel Song04 Love Or Something05 I Don't Like Mondays06 Room 1907 The Happy Club08 The Great Song Of Indifference09 Roads Of Germany10 Walking Back To Happiness [cut]11 The Great Song Of Indifference (reprise)12 Love Like A Rocket13 A Hole To FillQuality: A-

Bob Geldof - Oldenburg 2 (05/12/1992)01 backstage interview02 The Great Song Of Indifference03 Too Late God04 A Hole To Fill05 A Gospel Song06 Love Or Something07 I Don't Like Mondays08 Room 1909 Walking Back To Happiness10 Let It Go [cut at beginning]11 The Happy Club12 The Great Song Of Indifference13 Roads Of GermanyLength: 62:45Quality: A

Bob Geldof - Greenbelt Festival (30/08/1992)01 The great song of indifference02 Too late God03 The chains of pain04 A Gospel Song05 Love Or Something06 The Beat Of The Night07 I Don't Like Mondays08 Room 1909 Let It Go10 The End Of The World11 Rat Trap12 Big Romantic Stuff / The Great Song Of Indifference ( reprise )All tracks live at the Greenbelt Festival;30 Aug 1992Quality: audience, B+

Bob Geldof - Phoenix Club Toronto 199301 The Great Song Of Indifference02 Too Late God03 The chains of pain04 A Gospel Song05 Love Or Something06 The Beat Of The Night07 I Don't Like Mondays08 Walking Back To Happiness09 Rat TrapSource: audienceQuality: BTotal: 48:34

Bob Geldof - Wetzikon Switzerland (20/06/1998)! start missing01 The Great Song Of Indifference02 Too Late God03 The Chains Of Pain04 Inside Your Head (version 105 A Gospel Song06 Love Or Something07 The Beat Of The Night08 My Hippy Angel09 I Don't Like Mondays10 Banana Republic11 Room 19Source: audienceQuality: BTotal: 52:40

Bob Geldof - Teatro Tendo Florence (16/03/1999)CD 101 The Great Song Of Indifference02 Too Late God03 The Chains Of Pain04 A Gospel Song05 A Sex Thing06 Love Or Something07 The Beat Of The Night08 My Hippy Angel09 I Don't Like MondaysCD 201 Banana Republic02 Room 1903 Attitude Chicken04 The End Of The World05 Rat Trap06 Inside Your Head (version 2)07 Huge Birdless Silence08 A Hole To FillLength: 45:45 + 39:08Source: audienceQuality: B+

Bob Geldof - Rock Circus , San Vittore Switzerland (08-07-2001)01 The Great Song Of Indifference02 Too Late God03 The Chains Of Pain04 A Gospel Song05 A Sex Thing06 One For Me07 Inside Your Head08 Mudslide09 I Don't Like Mondays10 My Birthday Suit11 Room 1912 Attitude Chicken13 A Hole To Fill14 The End Of The World15 Rat trap16 Pale White Girls17 Huge Birdless Silence18 The Great Song Of IndifferenceLength: 78:04All tracks live at Rock Circus, San Vittore;Switzerland;8 July 2001audience recordingQuality B+/A-

Bob Geldof - Villa Berg Stuttgart (28/03/2002)01 radio intro02 The Great Song Of Indifference03 A Gospel Song04 A Sex Thing05 Walking Back To Happiness06 introducing new songs07 One For Me08 Mudslide09 I Don't Like Mondays10 radio outroQuality A